People's Champ Contestant - Brittany Conard

Who are you, where are you from, what is your day job?
Hi, I'm Brittany Conard from Wimberley, Texas.

I suck at elevator speeches. Professionally, I help organizations solve messy problems. My background is in leadership, customer experience, and operations, and I love building systems that help people do their best work. Truly, I find out I am the first person to write anything down lol

Point out some of your favorite details:
The trinkets. I'm a sucker for collecting little parts just because they're cool as fuck. The heat shield was purchased before I even had an exhaust. The cat gargoyle taillight was a must-have. The fringe Butts seat was all parts I bought long before I had a frame to put them on. They might seem small, but they're the pieces that carry my fingerprints throughout the build.

The exhaust. I spent a lot of time learning and practicing how to weld stainless pipe, and this part of the build stressed me out more than anything else. Seeing it finally come together exactly how I imagined made all the frustration worth it.

The front end. The 41mm triple trees from Pangea Speed are really what started this whole party. Hexagon risers from my husband as an anniversary present. Then I was lucky enough to add a set of killer lowers from Keith (@flyingpez), which tied the whole look together.

What were some of your biggest struggles building the bike?
The biggest technical struggle was definitely the primary. I had to rework it over and over again to get everything fitting the way I wanted. Every time I thought I was done, I'd find something else that needed to be adjusted. It taught me a lot about patience, even if I didn't always enjoy the lesson.

The other struggle was sensory overload. Between grinders, welders, podcasts, and multiple projects happening at once, the garage can be chaos. Sometimes I just wanted five minutes of silence to figure out why something wasn't fitting. 😅 I would sneak in my headphones to jam out once I knew what I was doing - This was the big winner for me.

Did you learn any new skills building the bike?
What didn't I learn? 😂 And honestly, there's still so much left to learn.
I learned how to TIG weld before I really knew how to use a ratchet, which feels a little backwards. This build has taught me new tools, techniques, fabrication skills, problem-solving, and a whole new way of thinking through challenges.
I'm definitely not efficient at any of it yet (except for maybe polishing), but I'm having a really good time being messy, making mistakes, and creating something with my hands. More than anything, it's taught me a new level of confidence in myself and what I'm capable of figuring out.
One of the coolest parts has been gaining a deeper understanding of my husband's world of fabrication. It is so fun to be in the garage with him.

How does it ride?
It's so smooth. The bike just kind of tucks you in and feels cozy, which is probably not the word most people use to describe a chopper, but it's true. I couldn't be happier with how it rides.
Once I got on it, I only adjusted the brake arm twice, which honestly feels like a win. The biggest adjustment was getting used to forward controls. On my Sportster, my feet never left the pegs, so learning a completely different riding position and shifting setup took a few rides to get comfortable with. Now it feels natural.

The bike has no problem getting up and going, but shifting up and back to downshift definitely gives the hip flexor a workout. It'll buff.

Anyone you want to thank?
Jake — I wouldn’t have been able to do this without your wisdom, patience, and knowledge. Forever your ride or die. And hey… I still have all 10 fingers.
Patty — Thanks for giving Jake shit and for the donations.
Josh — Thanks for taking a chance on me and for always being a great sounding board when Jake needs it.
The motorcycle community and Biltwell — this whole experience has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I couldn’t be happier with the support I’ve felt from everyone. No bullshit.

Few extra shoutouts:
Liz, Jessi, Sara, Malary, and Ashley — best girlfriend support group.
Andy @ Pangea — California Gold has helped me in so many ways.
Eazy Co dudes — Best chopper YouTube weeklies. Keeps me laughing.
Frank @ Vicious Cycles, Scott @ Juniors, Alex @ Krispy, and Joel @ Butts — for all the support and cool shit along the way.
Jake from Prism — thanks for always being such a good friend to us.
Lyndall — if you need brakes (and farm-fresh eggs), they rock.